The Lemann Foundation, a non-profit focused on improving education and developing leadership in Brazil, hosted a group of Brazilian leaders from the private and public sector last week to discuss the state of Brazilian education. RISE team members Lant Pritchett, Clare Leaver, and Barbara Bruns were among the guests invited to speak at the event held in Oxford, England. The aim of the conference was to draft an agenda to promote Brazil’s development and public education system over the next four years.

Delegates from across Brazil gathered at St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford from 27-30 November to hear the latest research on education systems, technology, teacher incentives, and teacher training. RISE Research Director Lant Pritchett spoke about creating education systems that are coherent for learning and RISE Research Coordinator Clare Leaver presented on school management and student outcomes. RISE Intellectual Leadership Team member Barbara Bruns, a renowned expert on education in Latin America, presented research on the politics of major teacher policy reforms in Ecuador and Peru.

According to OECD reports, Brazil ranked among the lowest of all OECD countries in the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results in mathematics and reading. Working group sessions at the Lemann Foundation event provided an opportunity for stakeholders to engage and (re)confirm a commitment to improving the education system in Brazil so that learning levels can increase across the country.

The closing day of the event featured visits to local High Schools in Oxford and a lunchtime keynote address by Ju-Ho Lee, Former Minister of Education, Science and Technology in South Korea (2010-2013) and professor at KDI School of Public Policy and Management.

Denis Mizne, executive director of the Lemann Foundation, closed the event: “The next years are crucial for our public education to improve so it offers equal learning opportunities for every Brazilian child. The pursuit of dialogue and common understanding of priorities are important to guarantee the success and quality in the implementation of structural educational reforms such as the National Learning Standards and the Connected Education program.”